Lost in Peru - A RealWorld Travel Photography Essay

Photography by Gary Moore

Peru is a country in western south America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean.

Peruvian territory was home to the Norte Chico civilization, one of the oldest in the world, and to the Inca Empire, the largest state in Pre-Columbian America. It was conquered by the Spanish Empire in the 16th-century, who established a Viceroyalty with jurisdiction over most of their South American domains. Independence was declared on 1821 but consolidated only after the Battle of Ayacucho, three years later.

Peru is a presidential representative democratic republic divided into 25 regions. It is a developing country with a moderate Human Development Index score and a level of poverty of around 50%. Main economic activities include agriculture, fishing, mining and the manufacturing of products such as textiles. Peru is home to many indigenous ethnic groups, especially in its portion of the Amazon rainforest.